معرفی
Allison Bigelow is the Tom Scully Discovery Chair Associate Professor in the Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese at the University of Virginia, where she specializes in colonial Latin American literature and the history of science. Her interdisciplinary research bridges colonial scientific discourse, translation, gender systems, and Indigenous literacies.
Education:
- Ph.D. in English & Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (2012)
- M.A. in English & Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (2007)
- B.A. in Spanish Language & Literature, University of Maryland (2003)
- B.A. in English Language & Literature, University of Maryland (2003)
Her research focuses on the intersections of empire, science, and Indigenous knowledge in the early Americas, particularly in mining and metallurgy. She explores how gender, language, and legal systems shaped colonial scientific practices and knowledge transmission. Her work is deeply engaged with public history and Indigenous Digital Humanities, emphasizing collaborative and decolonial methodologies.
The body of her recent publications reveals a strong trend in colonial scientific literature, especially in metallurgy, translation, and gendered discourse. Her articles analyze how scientific knowledge was transferred, adapted, and contested across cultural boundaries in the Spanish, English, and Andean empires, with a particular focus on language and epistemology.
Scientific Awards:
- 2022 Philip J. Pauley Prize, History of Science Society
- 2021 James A. Rawley Award in Atlantic History, American Historical Association
- 2021 First Book Award, Modern Language Association
- 2021 Honorable Mention, Howard F. Cline Award for Indigenous Latin American History
Allison Bigelow has been supported by prestigious fellowships, including a two-year NEH fellowship at the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. She has conducted extensive archival research across Bolivia, Cuba, England, Peru, and Spain, and has held fellowships at the Huntington Library, John Carter Brown Library, and Center for Southwest Research. She advises on interdisciplinary projects and collaborates with Indigenous scholars and institutions.
She co-leads the Seminario de manuscritos misionarios de Mesoamérica with Garry Sparks and Indigenous scholars Ajpub' Pablo García Ixmatá (Tz'utujil) and Irma Pomol Cahum (Yukatek), reflecting her commitment to collaborative, community-engaged scholarship. She is currently scoping a new Digital Humanities project that builds on her work in Indigenous knowledge systems and colonial archives.
